Bringing cheese to the table

In that time, Daniel has increased cheese production from seven to 11 tonnes, using milk from his own herd.

Daniel and his workforce shape their cheeses using the certified organic milk from the Hales family farm, Glen Moidart, at Lance Creek, in South Gippsland.

They have created a paddock-to-plate experience for their single origin product.

“I like to know we’re in control of the supply chain, from soil health, to growing grass, to crafting and packaging the cheese product,” Daniel said.

Daniel is the fifth generation of his family to work on the 214 hectare dryland dairy farm, set in undulating hills.

The idea of value adding to their milk production came after Daniel and Chelsie and his parents, Paul and Carolyn, undertook a succession planning process.

Paul and Carolyn benefited from his parents transferring the farm’s ownership to them in 1994. So they were receptive to hearing Daniel’s and Chelsie’s plans, which encompassed considerable change.

Daniel said the risk of changing was no risk in comparison to continuing to farm in the current dairy industry climate.

Transition saw Daniel and Chelsie move the herd from twice-a-day to once-a-day milking and retain the 12-a-side herringbone dairy.

They switched the mixed Ayrshire, Jersey, Friesian and crossbred cows to calving once a year.

And the couple went through the change process to seek organic accreditation for the farm and their cows’ milk.

The initial changes of once-a-day milking and seasonal calving took pressure off the paddocks during winter, when most pasture degradation was occurring.

Daniel is committed to ensuring his herd produces certified organic milk by eating a 100 per cent pasture-based diet.

“We always try to build components in our milk. Our cows produce milk with 4.8 per cent fat and 3.9 per cent protein,” he said.

He and his father, Paul, brew up fertiliser that is spread across the paddocks, supporting the organic accreditation for the farm.

In a closed loop system, pumpkins grown on the property, hay, manure, waste silage and vegetable scraps are used to create the liquid fertiliser.

All fodder is grown on the property. Pasture hay and silage are harvested annually, and a multi-species summer crop is grown for strip grazing.

The cattle are protected by remnant bushland and the planting of generous areas of shelter trees.

In the past couple of years, the milking herd size has grown by 10 cows to 140 head; and the top 25 cows are used to breed replacements.

The rest of the milking herd is joined to produce beef-dairy progeny, with the option of selling them as calves or, in better seasons, growing them out. It is a seasonal option for further value adding to the farm’s production.

The farm is only a short distance by road from the processing factory at Moyarra.

The milk travels daily to the factory, for processing to make a range of cheeses by hand.

“We use about 20 per cent of our milk to make our cheeses,” Daniel said.

“The balance of our milk production goes to Pure Harvest.”

He turns about 70,000 litres of milk into cheese.

“In the next 12 months, we’ll be using more milk for cheesemaking, as we grow to producing 14 tonnes of cheese.”

Cheese is sold to supermarkets and wineries in Gippsland, to Melbourne cheesemongers, and to specialty grocers in Melbourne and Tasmania.

This year, Daniel and Katie Thomas brought the Prom Country Cheese range direct to customers for paddock-to-plate tasting experiences, as part of the Food Hall at Farm World field days, held at Lardner Park.

From 7 tonnes to doubling production is rapid growth for three years of ownership, and fulfils the business plan Daniel developed when he purchased Prom Country Cheese in 2022.

At the time, he replicated traditional offerings, which are still part of the menu — but always using his certified organic cows’ milk.

These cheeses are a mix of soft, blue, marinated, hard and semi-hard cheeses. He also uses vegetarian rennet in some of his cheeses.

Prom Country Cheese is also certified to produce raw cow’s milk cheese, making it a unique business in Victoria.

Daniel’s first foray into producing raw milk cheese saw him create a gouda-style cheese. This has been followed by two hard cheeses, one that he says is ideal for shaving over pasta.

With an eye to further value adding, Daniel has also experimented and produced quark, a fresh curd that can be used in baking, making a dip or stirred through pasta.